The Ties That Bind
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 820b-826b, 834b-840b: Crossover of my Sam & Nell and Shelby & Beth series; One mother seeks to meet her daughter, the other reunites with her own.
1. One

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 39th cycle. Now cycle 40!_

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><p><em><strong>INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - <strong>If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!  
>Go to: <span>gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet<span>_

_** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 40 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about **shift days**, starting in cycle 40!_

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><p><em><strong>This is a shift day [see above].<strong> There was another upload this morning: Showcased, chapter 1._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<br>**

**Crossover of 2 of my series  
><strong>**1. Sam & Nell, Samchel (following "The Ex Factor")  
><strong>**2. Shelby & Beth, Emmett & Joanie, Shelby/Emmett (following "Bridge the Gap")  
><strong>**(if you're unfamiliar with either series, let me know and I'll get you a list) **

**1. One**

When he'd arrived at the coffee shop, Sam had spotted her, at a table in the corner, tracing her finger along the edge distractedly. He didn't know what this was about, she hadn't said a whole lot when she'd called, but he'd known her long enough to get the feeling she just wanted to confide in him. He was well aware this meeting was worrying Rachel, but he'd assured her everything would be alright and he intended to keep that promise.

"Hey…" he came to stand at the chair across from her, sat down once she'd looked up and seen him. "You sounded kind of mysterious on the phone…"

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't disturb you, did I?" she asked, almost out of concern.

"Hey, what are friends for?" he waved it off. "We are friends, aren't we?"

"We are," she nodded, leaving out 'and exes.'

"So, tell me, what's going on?" She took a breath, looking into her cup. It was long empty, from what he could see. "Quinn, are you in trouble, or…"

"Nothing like that, I swear," she shook her head. "I've sort of been thinking about a lot of things lately, and as much as I try not to, I keep feeling like it's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay?" he wasn't anywhere near understanding where she was going with this.

"I never really told you how much I appreciated the way you were about… the break-up and all that… even when I didn't give you much reason…"

"You didn't have to. In this case I kind of got it," he shook his head.

"Can I ask… I mean you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I…"

"Her name was Summer," he went into it, understanding now what she was getting at. "We met, we went out, we… I thought it was love but I guess there was a limit to that. When we found out we were pregnant, I knew right away she didn't want to keep her at all," he shook his head. "Maybe some of it was her parents, I don't know. But I know if I hadn't found out when I did… Nell might not have been born."

"You always knew you wanted to keep her?" Quinn spoke for the first time.

"Well, after the shock wore off, I just… I knew I couldn't let it go this way. I went back and I said I'd take the baby. I wasn't really thinking about… the long run, just how if Summer wouldn't have her, then I would, I'd find a way to make it work. It was months of being worried about what would happen… but the moment she was born I knew I'd make the right decision… I could never…" He stopped himself, remembering who he was talking to, but she finished his sentence for him.

"Let her go?" her voice was hollow. He looked down.

"I didn't mean anything by it," he shook his head.

"I know." She paused, staring in her cup.

"Want me to get you a refill?" She nudged the cup back, looking to him.

"How is it now? With the baby, and school, and… Rachel… I mean you seem to be making it all work pretty well."

"Wasn't always that way. I spent the first month or so of Nell's life being terrified and exhausted and just confused. I didn't think I'd make it through, but eventually things started to fall into place. It helped that we moved," he admitted. "We all started fresh, made a life…" He could see even as she was looking at him her mind was elsewhere. "Did you ever think of keeping… yours?"

"A couple of times," she admitted. "Most of the time I knew I wanted to give her away. But then there was one time I thought I could do it. It didn't last, I went back to giving her up…"

"There was another time," he guessed.

"She was born the day we were performing at Regionals last year. My mother showed up to see me sing," a small smile gained on her face. "I hadn't seen her since the night my father kicked me out. She told me about how she'd found out he'd been cheating, that she'd kicked him out and wanted me to come home… For a second I kind of imagined… going home, raising the baby with my mother there… Three seconds later, my water broke."

"You changed your mind?"

"I realized my head wasn't in the right place, that I'd spent months knowing what I had to do, for her sake… for hers, and mine… even Puck's. So I came to the conclusion that, no matter how much I thought I could do it that one time or another… She deserved to be with someone who knew they could."

"So you placed her," he nodded. She looked up to him, and there was something in her eyes like she had something she may or may not have wanted to say.

"Did Rachel ever tell you about who adopted… my daughter?" she started. Sam gave a clueless shrug. "Her name is Shelby Corcoran," she waited to see if he had heard the name before. He paused, let the name sit in his memory, and then he looked back to Quinn – he knew who she was.

"So Rachel's mother adopted your baby?" Quinn gave a silent nod. "You trust her, don't you?"

"Absolutely, it's not even an issue," she shook her head.

"But there is something?" he guessed.

"I think I just needed to know that it's possible to make it happen, that things can work out, even if it wasn't the path I chose…" she had a shy smile, and he returned it.

_X_

_Three days later_

Quinn had already finished her business at her locker, but she was waiting for someone, so she waited, straightening things on her shelf. "Hey…" Puck came to stand at her side.

"Hey," she replied, shutting the locker door.

"Did you do it yet?"

"Not yet. She hasn't shown up." Quinn turned and leaned against the lockers, just as he did. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am if you are," he gave her a smile.

"I'm sure," she promised.

"Good, there she is," Puck nodded down the hall. Quinn took a breath, looking to him. He touched her arm, reassuring. Quinn moved down the hall, falling in step with her intended goal.

"Rachel, can we talk?" The brunette looked both surprised and like she'd expected this. She probably didn't know what she intended to ask.

"Sure… What's going on?"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. Two

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Cordially Decline._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**2. Two**

Rachel followed Quinn as the blonde lead them into the girls' bathroom. There was only one girl there when they came in, and Quinn waited until she'd left before she looked to Rachel again. "I assume Sam told you I asked to see him the other day."

"Yeah, I was with him when you called," Rachel revealed and Quinn nodded.

"Did he tell you what we talked about?"

"No… not all of it, just that… it was to do with the fact he has a daughter, not that you two were…" she paused, redirected. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to tell or anything, if that's…"

"I wasn't worrying," Quinn assured her; she was nervous though.

"So what's going on? I mean usually when you want to talk there's yelling involved…"

"Not today," Quinn actually smiled at this. "Have you… have you noticed the two of us seem to sort of… run in the same circle of people? Finn, and Puck, and Sam, and… your mother, and my daughter…" Rachel gave a silent nod. "And now it comes back around to you…"

"What about me?"

"I need your help," Quinn started, but then stopped, like no matter how much she needed whatever this was, she still wasn't sure that she should go through with it.

"Whatever it is, Quinn… just ask, it's okay," Rachel tried to encourage her. Quinn gave a slow nod, but when she spoke it was clear she had taken a step back, approaching her request with all the facts laid out on the table, with the hope perhaps that it would help Rachel understand where she was at.

"That day, at Mr. Hummel and Mrs. Hudson's wedding, when Sam came in with the baby, I never even thought she was a sibling or anyone else, I could tell she was his. It wasn't just that she looks like him; it was in his face," Rachel knew the look she meant, the one he'd have when Nell was there… it made her smile just thinking about it. "I didn't break up with him because he had a kid, you know?"

"I know," Rachel replied, though there was still the other half of the answer left hanging. Then why?

"Took a few weeks, but I knew if I stayed with him then it wouldn't be fair… to him, to others… I needed to figure things out, but it couldn't be with him."

"Do you still… I mean…" she had to ask.

"Don't worry, I won't come between you two," Quinn gave a smile, and Rachel felt herself breathe again. "Maybe at first I thought that was what I was going to do. Not the coming between part, but… I think I thought maybe once I figured things out then I'd go back to him."

"What changed?" There was that small smile on the blonde's face again.

"I think as much as it got me thinking, to see Sam and his daughter, that it got him thinking, too."

"Who, Sam?" Rachel was lost for a moment, but then she understood the 'him' here was another teen father. "You and Puck…"

"Not right away," Quinn explained. "But one day he just sort of came to me and… we talked. We had unfinished business, that's what we started calling it. He had feelings about Beth, not having kept her, and I did, too, and we finally got to lay them out, let them out." She paused, taking a breath. "Somewhere from out of that, we started reconnecting. I think this is different from before through. We cared for each other back then, we did… even kind of loved each other, but… not like now…" she shook her head, and Rachel could see in her eyes how much better she was for it.

"I'm happy for you," she offered a smile. Quinn returned it, then after a beat she went on.

"After a while though, we both got to thinking again… about unfinished business. The two of us, that was part of it, but there's someone else, and that one's even harder than the two of us owning up to each other.

"Beth," Rachel nodded.

"We want to see her. Even if it's just once, one day and that's it. Or it could be more, we don't know, that all depends on Shelby…"

"And that's why you need me," Rachel spoke out what she'd already guessed.

"Do you know how to reach her?" Quinn asked, sounding so very hopeful and pleading though she tried not to show it.

"I do," Rachel confirmed after a while. "But… are you ready for the possibility that she might say no?" she had to ask.

"We are," Quinn promised. "Does that mean…"

"I'll work on it," Rachel replied, and Quinn silently thanked her before leaving the bathroom. Rachel stepped out into the hall, watched her rejoin Puck. She couldn't hear, but she guessed she was telling him how the conversation had gone. Puck looked just as hopeful as Quinn had. He put a tentative arm around Quinn as they walked off, and Rachel could imagine their reunion was still a cautious one, aware of past mistakes and twists and turns. She knew she had to try to do this for them. Now though there was the other part, of contacting her mother.

She hadn't seen or spoken to her since Regionals, and even then she hadn't yet found out about Beth and how Shelby had adopted her. It had taken her a while to even address her feelings on the matter, and still today she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Of course she was happy for her, and she knew Quinn's little girl had to be in a pretty good place, being with her, but… what about her? Maybe it was selfish, but what else could she do?

So how was she going to work this out? She had to get in touch with her, for Quinn and Puck, but then the moment she called, had her on the line, she wouldn't be able to ignore that she had her own questions, that they needed answers just as much as anything else…

"Hey, earth to Rachel?" She startled, and then there was Sam in front of her. "Sorry, didn't mean to spook you."

"No, it's… it's okay, I… I just had a conversation with Quinn," she explained.

"This have to do with what she wanted to talk to me about?" Rachel shrugged – sort of. "So what was it?"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. Three

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Problem Solved._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**3. Three**

She'd told him they'd talk about it at lunch. Maybe it'd give her the time to soothe away the spinning head feeling. There had already been two 'big talks' in the last few days, with Sam and Quinn, and now her and Quinn, and she had a feeling there was about to be another, when she'd sit down and tell Sam about Quinn's request and what it meant for them all.

After a distracted morning's run of classes she'd gone to the cafeteria, sniffed out as close to a decent meal as possible, and found a table. She'd just finished organizing things the way she wanted them when Sam came to sit at her side with his own tray.

"You looked kind of bored in class just now…"

"Not bored, just my head's elsewhere," she shrugged, staring into her plate.

"What happened with Quinn this morning?" he asked.

"She… needed to ask me a favor," she started. If it wasn't that Quinn had already involved him in this with their talk, Rachel might not have said a thing to him, but as she had… "Her and Puck, they want to get in touch with Shelby Corcoran and see Beth. They need me, to call her…" She paused, taking a breath, taking her emotions back in her arms. Sam seemed to understand this.

"Are you okay?" She smiled, feeling his concern. "How long has it been since you spoke to her?"

"Nearly a year," she estimated. "But then that's about how long I knew her before that, so…"

"Are you going to be okay to call her?"

"Honestly, I don't know," she admitted. "I keep thinking about what Quinn and Puck want to talk about, but also… what I might have to say, because I have… all these things I never got to tell her, and if I do that I might…" she ran out of air, paused.

"Hey…" he took her hand and she gulped back her breath. "Do you miss her?"

"Not as much as I used to, I guess. You know, when I was little, I'd wonder… who she was, what she looked like… if she sang like me…"

"Does she?" Sam asked, smiling.

"She's… pretty fantastic," Rachel replied.

"So that's a yes then," Sam concluded, making her laugh. "Did you miss not having her around?" he asked, and she wondered if he was concerned about Nell, not having Summer around.

"I don't want it to sound like my fathers aren't enough," she shook her head quickly. "I was afraid they'd think that, too, that they'd think I didn't find them enough because they weren't female. They love me, I love them… doesn't need to go beyond that. But a girl still wonders, you know?" she shrugged.

"Yeah…" he nodded.

"I wanted to ask, a few times, but then I'd be afraid they'd take it the wrong way. But then… I started to look into it, and one thing led to another and we met. It… wasn't exactly what I expected… or what she expected, I think. We went our separate ways, and in some things we did make peace, but…" she paused. "Add to that the fact that she's now raising Puck and Quinn's baby…"

"I have an idea," he spoke up and she looked at him. "Why don't I give her the call, you know, neutral party. I can tell her how I'm in Glee Club with all of you, and I can tell her about Puck and Quinn and what they want…"

"You'd do that?" she smiled, then paused. "Oh, but I couldn't do that, I mean what if she thinks I don't want to talk to her…"

"Do you want to talk to her?" he asked.

"Of course, I mean she's my mother…"

"So then no matter what happens with the Quinn thing, there's nothing to stop you from talking, to her. She left you that number for a reason, didn't she?"

"Yeah…" she breathed out, considered the options. "I think the neutral thing's a good idea," she finally nodded, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Alright, so I'll do it," he nodded back.

"Maybe we should wait until… Friday or something. Middle of the week might not be the best," she shrugged. He nudged her lunch toward her.

"Eat," he suggested, and she smiled, doing as told. "Anything I should or shouldn't bring up?"

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, can I tell her I'm your boyfriend?"

"Yes," she beamed.

"Can I tell her about Nell if need be? Not sure whether it'd work in our favor or not…"

"I'll leave that up to you," she offered.

"Right. Anything else?"

"I don't think so. We should probably talk with Quinn and Puck at some point." She thought about something. "Will you come with us?"

"To see your mom? If you want me to and they don't mind," he shrugged. "Although it might mean I'd have to bring Nell with me."

"Right, you're on your own this week," she remembered.

"Might be a lot to ask if we drop in, Puck, Quinn, you, me, and Nell…" She looked like part of her agreed on this, but at the same time another part of her had decided she needed to see her mother, and she needed him there with her. "At the worse, I can stay in the car, me and Nell. Or I can come in, too. We'll see what happens. We haven't even talked to her yet. She could still say no."

"For Quinn and Puck's sake, I hope she doesn't."

"Do you think she will?" Rachel considered this.

"I don't think so," she decided.

"There you go," Sam smiled encouragingly. Rachel sat there for a moment, reminiscing.

"First time I saw her and realized who she was… she was on stage," she smiled. "Even before I understood who she was, I just thought… Look how she carries herself. That's a star… Everything she did made absolute sense to me. And then… she sang. I'd heard her voice before, heard her sing, on a tape she'd made for me. I recognized her voice, and all of a sudden… there she was… my mother, my own magnificent mother… Except she wasn't mine, not really. I'd imagined her, so many years, and it's not like she was deceiving, but there's a difference between expectation and reality… I saw it, and so did she…" She took a breath.

"Still want to do this?" he asked, and she nodded.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. Four

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Step Twelve, Stand Up._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**4. Four**

_Two weeks ago_

Her mother was coming up to visit in a week. This would be the first time she came up to the house since they'd moved in, usually being the other way around. It wasn't as though she would judge her, but Shelby still wanted everything to be perfect.

"Mama…" she heard from the baby monitor sitting on top of a pile of magazines, and it still made her smile to hear the sound of her voice. Leaving the living room, she headed into the nursery, finding a pair of eyes locked on her immediately. "Did you have a nice nap?" she hushed, picking her up and kissing her cheeks. Beth clung to her while Shelby gently brushed her hair in place.

The doorbell rang then, so Shelby went down the stairs, Beth still in hand. The person she found on the other side of the door was not who she expected; she never usually rang the bell. "Hey, Joanie, ringing bells now?" she smiled, stepping aside to let her in. "Look who it is," she turned to Beth and when the blonde saw her she lit up.

"Sa!" she declared, making Shelby chuckle. None of them knew where the nickname had come, but by Beth's own mouth that was Joanie's name. It wasn't getting a smile out of Joanie now though, and Shelby looked at her, saw she looked kind of upset.

"Something wrong?" Joanie shrugged. "Hey…"

"Alex and I had a fight," she explained.

"Oh, honey…" Shelby put her free arm around her shoulders, leading her in. "Want to talk about it?" she asked carefully.

"Not really, I just…"

"Hey… want to help me clean?" she suggested, and Joanie brightened a bit.

"Okay," she agreed.

"And after, I've got all this ice cream in the refrigerator and I wouldn't want it to go to waste, right?" she saw the hint of a smile and it put her at ease. "Here, take her into the office, I'll go get her seat," she handed Beth over and Joanie went off. When she joined the girls, Joanie was sitting on the ground by more magazines, with Beth in her lap.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"Well, it's up to you," Shelby put the playpen by the window. "There's dusting, there's the bathroom…"

"Dusting, I'll do dusting," Joanie piped up. Shelby laughed, held out the duster. "Come on," Joanie got up, taking Beth to the playpen.

"Sa…" the girl stretched out her arms as soon as she'd been put down.

"Dust isn't good for you," Joanie took up her hand for a second before moving to the shelves. She was careful, picking up picture frames, dusting them and the shelf space underneath. Each time she took one she would observe it for a moment, then put it back and move on. After a while, having looked at a number of them, a question came to her, one she'd never asked before. "Where… where's Beth's dad?" Shelby paused, in the middle of sorting through papers on her desk, and looked back. "I'm sorry, I…"

"No, it's alright," she turned her chair around. Joanie approached her, slowly.

"Is he… dead?"

"No, no, not at all," Shelby shook her head, trying to think of how to go about this, what to tell her.

"Did he leave you when he found out about…"

"Nothing like that either," she shook her head. "I didn't give birth to Beth, Joanie, I adopted her." Joanie looked surprised, turning to look at the girl in the playpen, then back to Shelby.

"I didn't know…"

"I was going to tell you eventually. Not that I'm hiding, but this isn't the easiest thing to slip into casual conversation…"

"Right," Joanie nodded. "Does my dad know?"

"He does," she confirmed. "I explained to him how I couldn't have kids anymore, and how I came to meet Beth's birth parents. They couldn't keep her, and I wanted… the life I never had…" she shrugged, smiling. "The minute I saw her, I knew…"

"You loved her," Joanie smiled back.

"Guess that's the thing about family. Doesn't always happen the way you think it will," she looked to the girl who knew exactly what she meant. "We moved out here, to give her a good life, and then… we met you and your dad." Joanie looked a lot happier than when she'd walked through the door an hour earlier. Shelby wasn't sure what this fight with Alex had been about, but she was fairly confident they would work through it. Still she had to ask. "Hey, Joanie, you know if you ever decide you need to talk about what happened between you and Alex…" The girl bowed her head with a sigh.

"It was stupid, I don't even really remember…"

"Yeah, that happens," Shelby nodded.

"I don't want to lose him," she looked on the verge of tears. Shelby got up, moved to wrap her arms around her.

"You won't. People fight, it happens."

"He's my best friend…" she sniffled.

"The best ones usually are," Shelby smiled. "Okay," she sighed, rubbing at Joanie's back. "I think it's time for that ice cream. After, I can drive you to his house."

"Would you?" she sounded relieved.

"Sure," Shelby chuckled.

They'd had the ice cream and then, as promised, she had taken her to the Singh house. She'd stayed in the car, waited to see what would happen. After five minutes she'd received a text that everything was fine, so she headed back home.

As she parked the car she looked in the back to check on Beth. She'd fallen asleep some time on the ride over. Shelby just watched her for a while, not disrupting her.

She looked more and more like them every day, Quinn especially. She hadn't known the two of them all that long, but all she had to do was look at Beth and she could recall their faces instantly.

Then of course there was Rachel. She could have told Joanie about her, too, but that was a conversation for another day. She would think about her, especially when she'd be with Beth and Joanie at once… the daughter she had taken in, the one she had come upon… and the one she had let go… Maybe someday she would stop feeling like she was missing something, hadn't done all she should have done.

"Okay, let's get you back in your crib so I can get this place ready for grandma," she told her sleeping daughter.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. Five

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: In Good Hands._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**5. Five**

_Present_

In the past couple of days, no one had really addressed the whole Corcoran plan, not Rachel, or Sam, or Quinn, or Puck. Judging by the way they all got really involved with whatever they were doing in class, or in Glee Club, or football, which only highlighted the effort being put into not thinking too much about… everything else.

But now it was Friday, and two of them knew what this meant: it was the day Sam would make the call to Shelby to propose the meet. When Sam arrived at school, Rachel came up to him. "Come with me," she took him by the arm and pulled him down the hall.

"What's going on, is everything… okay…" he paused when she veered and pulled him into the choir room, where Puck and Quinn sat waiting. They looked as though they'd been expecting her but were surprised by him. "Hey…" he waved to them.

"Please sit," Rachel nodded to him, then to a couple of chairs which had been turned to face the ones where Puck and Quinn sat, and Sam and Rachel joined the. "Right, so…"

"Did she say no?" Quinn spoke up, her face trying not to decide on an emotion, be it relief or deception.

"She hasn't said anything, we haven't called her yet," Rachel clarified.

"We?" Puck asked.

"Well, see, that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about," Rachel started. "After you asked me to call Shelby and everything, I had to think about what it would mean for me, too, I mean… she is my mother," she reminded. "So I hope it's alright that I talked to Sam about it."

"Absolutely," Quinn nodded, checking with Puck, who also nodded.

"Right, so… if and when she says yes… would it be invasive if I were to come along, to see her? A-and Sam… and possibly Nell," she went on, figuring it was better off if she unloaded the full request instead of going at it piece by piece.

"I guess that'd be alright," Quinn replied. "To tell the truth it'd probably be easier that way… It's all about strength in numbers, right?"

"Thanks, means a lot," Rachel let out a breath. "Sam's going to make the call tonight, and once we know what she says we'll…"

"Why's he making the call?" Puck asked, confused.

"Because if I do then I might end up asking questions and get carried away, and…"

"I'm a neutral party," Sam got to the point.

"Yes, and if I'm going to end up being there, then… having him there is just… moral support," she explained. "And then it's possible there might not be anyone else to watch Nell, so…"

"Fine by me," Quinn once again turned to Puck.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Good, that's… that's settled…" Rachel nodded along, with her own share of hopes and fears.

"Thanks," Quinn slipped in, looking to Sam, and he gave a silent 'you're welcome.'

"I just wanted to make sure also, before we make the call, that we're all still sure we want to go through with this and, if so, that we understand this could come apart," Rachel carried on.

"Keeping expectations low, got it," Puck replied.

"W-well, not too… low," Quinn cut in.

"Medium expectations then," Puck corrected himself, looking to her with a bit of an apologetic nod and she gave a smile back.

"Okay, good, that's all, then," Rachel got up.

"I should get to class, I need to talk to Mr. Reid anyway," Quinn excused herself. Rachel went off as well, a moment later.

"Hey, Sam," Puck stopped him before he could head out as well. Sam turned. "Thanks for this," he held out his hand. Sam shook it, nodding.

"Sure, no problem."

"She'll be glad when this is over, one way or the other," he looked out the door.

"Quinn?" Sam guessed and Puck nodded.

"It's been stressing her; she wants it to happen, but she's scared…" Sam nodded quietly, knowing how Quinn could get, from when they were dating.

"And you?"

"I'm fine," he shrugged, like he had the emotions but didn't want to get into them, more concerned with looking out for Quinn's side of it.

"You know… once in a while, if you want to hang out, maybe with Nell… I mean I know it's not the same because she's not…"

"No, that'd be great, actually," Puck's face did something like a controlled light up. No, it wouldn't be the same as it being Beth, but all the same it could make him feel like he was doing something.

"Okay, well, let me know," Sam smiled and they went their separate ways. Sam looked down the hall and spotted Rachel at her locker, moved to join her. "That went well…"

"Yes, and once this is done it'll be even better."

"Are you having second thoughts?"

"Am I acting like I am?"

"I don't know, it's hard to tell, honestly."

"No second thoughts," she swore. "So, tonight, after class, can I come over so I'll be there if necessary without actually… calling."

"We'll order pizza," he suggested and she smiled. "Or Chinese… I don't know what's appropriate for a situation like this."

"Having my boyfriend call my mother to ask and see the baby of my once-upon-a-time sort of nemesis and boyfriend of five seconds that she adopted? Yeah, pizza's fine," she smiled.

"My head's spinning," he paused, having followed along with his head nodding on and on.

"Have I mentioned you're great?" she absently straightened his collar.

"Not specifically, but it's nice to hear," he smiled.

"You're great," she repeated. "Really, fantastic."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you," he took up her hand when she closed her locker, and now she was blushing. "It's going to be fine," he spoke, seeing her gaze drift.

"I know it will," she breathed out.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. Six

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Sunshine on Wheels._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**6. Six**

He'd been there, waiting for her outside of school when she came out. Seeing him there, she smiled. "This is a nice surprise. Hey…" she approached him and they kissed.

"Beautiful day, thought we'd give this whole terrace dinner a try," he explained.

"The girls?"

"At your house with pizza money and Finding Nemo," he nodded along.

"And that's going to help stop Joanie's wanting a pet turtle?" she smirked.

"Or hold her off until her next birthday…"

"Right," she nodded. "Let's go."

They'd gotten to the restaurant, ordered drinks. Shelby put in a call to Joanie and got to 'speak' to Beth, make sure they were both okay. "Relieved?"

"I wasn't worried," she promised.

"More like fretting," he teased and she made like she was going to kick him under the table.

"It is a nice evening," she confirmed with a smile, looking around. Her phone rang and she fished it back out of her bag. "She never remembers where the blanket is," she chuckled.

"Well it's never in the same place," Emmett pointed out. Looking at the screen, Shelby was surprised not to see 'HOME' but a number and no name. She frowned and answered.

"Hello?" There was a brief pause.

"Shelby Corcoran?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes, this is she." Emmett was looking at her, curious and she shrugged.

"My name is Sam Evans, you don't know me, I go to McKinley High and I'm in the Glee Club with Rachel and the others? I'm… new this year."

"Yes," Shelby nodded, surprised by the mention of her daughter. "What… what can I do for you?"

"Well, it's not actually for me. I'm calling on behalf of Rachel, who was going to call on behalf of Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman." The addition of those names, of Beth's parents' names, gave her another small shock, and she knew she had to move.

"Can you hold on for a second?" she asked Sam before looking to Emmett. "I'll be right back," she told him before getting up and off the terrace, to a corner on her own. "Sam? I'm back."

"Hello again," he replied. "Listen, I know it's a lot to ask all at once, but they wanted me to pass on a message, or… a request. Quinn and Puck were wondering if you would allow them to see Beth, in your presence, of course. It could be just the one time, or more, that depends on you. They would understand if you said no but they would be… relieved if you agreed. Whatever you decide, also, Rachel has said she would like to see you as well." Shelby wasn't sure when she'd leaned against the wall, but it was probably a good thing now, with all this information.

"Can I ask… why it is I'm talking to you instead of any of them?" she asked slowly.

"Neutral party," he explained in basic terms. "Also I'm, uh, I'm Rachel's boyfriend." By the pause he took there it suddenly dawned on Shelby that, on the other end of that line, Rachel must have been sitting right by his side… Had they smiled at each other when he'd said it? "And I wanted to help my friends." There was a sound in the background which she might have missed if not that she heard one so similar whenever she called home to check in on Beth – a baby. Was this a sibling, or… How old was this guy? She stopped herself going into mom mode, remembering the questions still unanswered.

"Sam, I'm going to call you back in… a few minutes, alright?"

"Sure. You've got my number," he agreed.

"Good, alright. Bye," she hung up, looking to the screen until the light went off; and then she had to think. She remembered where she was, remembered Emmett. Moving back to the terrace and the table, she saw Emmett was looking back at her, certain concern on his face.

"Everything alright?" he asked as she sat.

"I just got a call from my daughter's boyfriend…" she chose her words to pinpoint the oddity of the situation. He blinked, and she could imagine he was working out which daughter she was talking about, then it came to him.

"Is she… alright?"

"As far as I can tell. She wants to see me again."

"Well that's good, yes? When…"

"Last time I saw her was the day Beth was born. I'd imagine she's got… things she'll want to talk about. Our last attempt at connecting was nowhere near what… either of us had wanted it to be. But that's not the part that I need to…" she sighed.

"What is it?" It took her time to make herself speak up, nudging at her glass.

"Beth's birth parents want to see her as well." She was silent again, looking to him.

"And you don't know if you…"

"When we made the decision and she agreed to let me adopt Beth, she wasn't going to see her, that was her choice, so I never really considered whether or not I wanted that or not. Since the day Beth was born it's been just me and her, you know? And then it became me and her and you and Joanie…" He smiled at this. "What if she wants her back?" The look in her eyes was not unlike the one Emmett had when Nicole had almost taken Joanie with her to Arizona – powerless worrying…

"So just talk to her first," he suggested. "Leave Beth with me and Joanie and, if and when you think it's okay then just call and we'll bring her over."

"That… that could work," Shelby slowly agreed. "It would be great if this worked out, of course. I never intended to hide where she came from, even if I have no idea when and how to explain that to her," she sighed.

"Hey," he took her hand and she looked to him. "We'll work through this. It's like you said, I'm part of this now." She smiled.

"Yeah, you are," she agreed. "I'll go call Sam back, then we can order dinner… I'm starving."

"Go on," he nodded.

"You know, I told Joanie about Beth just… a couple weeks ago. Now there's this…" she let out a breath. But it'll be fine," she assured him, reassured herself. They would set the meet for Sunday.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	7. Seven

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 39th cycle. Now cycle 40!_

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><p><em><strong>INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - <strong>If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!  
>Go to: <span>gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet<span>_

_** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 40 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about **shift days**, starting in cycle 40!_

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><p><em><strong>This is a shift day [see above].<strong> There was another upload this morning: When the Feathers Fall._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**7. Seven**

_Two days later_

Conversation had died away once they'd picked up Puck and Quinn and hit the road for Shelby's house, which was a thirty-five minute drive away. It was hard not to feel how heavy the tension was… Everyone had dressed so nicely and now sat up straight in their car seats.

After a while, it took Nell waking up – they had brought her, as expected, having no one to watch her – to snap them out of their daze. Puck took her hand, gave it a gentle shake, and she threw him a smile.

"You're good at that, you know?" Quinn told him, sitting on the other side of Nell. "Always have been."

"When my sister was little my parents could never cheer her up like I could. I think my mother took it personally." Quinn smiled, then frowned. "It'll go fine today," he promised and she looked up, caught.

"We might not even see her if she doesn't want us to," she reminded him. "You…"

"… I'm going to be on my best behavior," he went on promising. "I won't screw it up."

"Never thought you would," she smiled, looking at least a little less worried. Nell looked up to her, and Quinn let out a breath, giving her a smile and waving her fingers at her. Puck watched her, seeing how much she still wondered what would happen when it would be their daughter that she looked on…

In the front seat, Rachel was keeping a firm look on the printed sheets of directions to Shelby's house. She had told them to Sam, and he followed them, though she imagined she'd tell him the moment he deviated from them. He could probably figure a quicker route, but she was already nervous enough that he wouldn't take her route away from her.

"So…" she spoke suddenly.

"It's the next street for the turn," he promised he remembered the directions.

"No, it's not that. I mean, yes, but… I haven't told my fathers where we're going today."

"Where do they think you are?"

"Music store, out of town," she nodded, then paused. "I don't like lying to them, but… I never told them I met her in the first place."

"Would they be upset that you had?"

"I don't know, just… I waited at first, and then the time wasn't right, and it went on, and on, and then it was too long and if I told them then I'd have to tell them that I had been keeping it from them…"

"Rachel, Rachel, breathe," he put a hand to her arm.

"Sorry…" she exhaled.

"You should tell them," he nodded.

"I will… Not today though," she smiled.

X

Shelby had just finished getting Beth ready. She wasn't sure if she'd bring her in, still, but if she did then she would be ready. She was glad that at least the house was still in order from her mother's visit.

"Okay, you're all set," she picked her up, kissing her cheek as she went on down the stairs. She'd tried to think of what to tell her, even if she would hardly understand or remember her, about what was meant to happen on this day, but she didn't know what to say. Besides, if there was anyone she felt had to be informed, it was another blue eyed girl.

She crossed the yard from their back door to Emmett's, walking in. "Hello?" she called.

"Be right down!" Emmett's voice sounded in the distance, and a second later Joanie came running in.

"Hi Shelby, hey Beth…" she smiled, coming up to them.

"Thanks for watching her," Shelby smiled back, then breathed. "Can I talk to you about something?" she sat at the kitchen table, Beth on her knees.

"Yeah?" Joanie sat as well.

"So your father probably hasn't told you what's happening today." She shook her head. "Okay, well… Remember two weeks ago when I told you about Beth, how she was adopted?" Joanie nodded. "Today her birth parents are coming. They want to see her, but I need to talk to them first, that's why you're keeping her here."

"Oh… It's good they want to see her though…"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Shelby agreed, then paused for breath. "There's something else though, someone else who's coming."

"Who?"

"I wasn't sure if or when to tell you about this part last time, even if I do feel, with you being such a big part of mine and Beth's lives now, that you do deserve to know."

"Okay?" Joanie grew serious, listening.

"Years ago, I had a baby, a girl, one I did give birth to, as a surrogate for two very nice men. I met her for the first time, over a year ago, haven't seen her since the day Beth was born. Today, she's coming, too." It was hard to read Joanie's face on this, like she was curious, but… was that fear?

"Okay… Can I take Beth now? I got a new story book I want to show her."

"Sure," Shelby gave her a smile, handed Beth over after kissing her goodbye. She watched Joanie go off with her then let out a breath… Time to go back and wait for her visitors. They'd be there soon.

X

"I think that's it," Rachel pointed out the window and Sam pulled the car to the curb. The four of them stared out at the house; Nell stared at her toes.

"Nice house," Puck commented.

"It really is," Quinn agreed, taking in the big picture and the details. "Nice family house."

"So if you want I'll wait here with Nell," Sam looked to Rachel, who turned back to him.

"No, don't be silly, you should come in, too. You did speak to her before, it'll be weird if you're not there. And I do want you there," she begged, and he smiled.

"Alright then."

"Here, I'll get her out," Puck told them, unhooking Nell and picking her up. He handed her to Sam after they were out of the car.

"Ready?" Sam looked to Rachel, to Quinn, to Puck.

"As I'll ever be," Rachel hummed.

TO BE CONTINUED (NEXT THURSDAY)


	8. Eight

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Showcased, chapter 3._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**8. Eight**

The doorbell rang just as he was coming back through the back door. She hurried her steps, taking a quick look around the rooms before she made it to the door, took a breath, and opened. It took a beat for all of them to give some form of reaction as they looked to one another.

For Rachel, seeing her again was an automatic sort of resurgence of hope… there was her mother… But then there was the rest, the things left unsaid and the mistakes and deceptions, regrets… Quinn saw her and she remembered why she'd chosen her to adopt Beth. Maybe it was because she was Rachel's mother, but looking at her she trusted her, knew her little girl was in good hands, and she knew without looking that Puck was seeing this, too. Sam at the back couldn't help but look at the woman and see there was absolutely no doubt that this was Rachel's mother. And then there was Shelby herself, seeing her daughter just as she'd left her, seeing Puck and Quinn as honestly a couple good kids who'd gotten into this despite themselves. And seeing the boy, the one whose face she didn't know but that she had to assume was Sam, the boy she'd spoken to, Rachel's boyfriend… with a baby girl in his arms… so she had heard a child. She just had to see how he held her to know she was his.

"I think one of us needs to start speaking," Puck nodded, unfreezing the group.

"Please, come in," Shelby stepped aside, closing the door after they'd all passed, and the leading them into the living room to sit. "Is anyone thirsty? Hungry?" All gave signs of no. "Good, alright," she moved to sit with them. "You must be Sam," she turned to him and she reached to shake his hand as he nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," he told her and then, sensing what her next question was going to be, "And this is my daughter, Nell."

"I could have told you that," she laughed, waving to the girl with a smile. Nell, the social butterfly as always, burst with smiles. "So how long have you two been dating?" she asked him and Rachel. There was a little something there, like although she was asking these questions and being very nice there was an uncertainty that was almost motherly and protective of Rachel in the face of her dating a guy her age who had a child.

"A, uh, a few weeks, a month, I…" Rachel looked to Sam, suddenly baffled.

"One month next Thursday," he gave her a smile and she calmed instantly, smiling back.

"Month next Thursday," she repeated, talking evenly now. "But it was heading that way for a time before that. He's a really good guy," she was looking to Shelby, but her eyes had flicked his way as though to add on 'not just saying that.' Nell was looking at her the whole time, attached to her voice as always. Seeing the whole picture, Shelby seemed to be mildly reassured, though they imagined it wouldn't be the end of that.

"It's a nice house," Quinn tentatively spoke for the first time. Shelby looked to her and she could see the questions the girl wanted to ask but held back so not to sound so desperate.

"It is," she nodded. "It didn't start that way, a lot of work to be done, but now it's home," she spoke proudly before taking a breath, knowing it was time to get down to it. "I sent Beth next door for now, until we get a chance to talk," she explained.

"What's next door?" Quinn asked. Before Shelby could answer she noticed Nell getting fussy.

"I'm sorry, think she's getting hungry," Sam spoke, trying to comfort her.

"Kitchen's through there," Shelby indicated. "Take what you need," she spoke kindly and he gave a silent 'thank you' before taking Nell into the kitchen. "Next door is my boyfriend's house, him and his daughter," she explained. "She's perfectly safe," Shelby promised and Quinn was appeased. "How have you been doing, both of you, since the adoption. There was silence for a month, both of them looking to one another as they pondered their answer.

"Before either of us says anything," Quinn spoke up, "We just want you to know we're not here to… get her back or anything, we just would like to see her, you know?" she calmly explained, her voice stopping there, again putting forth information carefully, not wanting to say something wrong.

"I understand," Shelby nodded, and again a layer of silence lifted away. The way both of them sat and listened as the other spoke, both Shelby and Rachel could tell they'd spoken these things to each other before.

"Some days I think about her and I miss her," Puck spoke first. "I never knew her but I miss her. I think about what she might like… foods, and colors, cartoons," he explained. "I know she's okay, here with you, but it's hard not to imagine having her in my life all the time, taking care of her, showing her things. Does she like music?"

"She does," Shelby smiled.

"Do you sing to her?" Quinn asked, and Shelby couldn't help but notice how Rachel's eyes turned up at this, like she wanted to know as well.

"I do," Shelby confirmed, and Quinn smiled, nodding quietly. "How have you been doing, Quinn?"

"I…" she started, then took a moment. "Some days have been harder than others. Sometimes I'd wonder… if I'd made a mistake. And then I'd tell myself… I have made mistakes, so many, but giving her to you, that wasn't one of them. I wasn't there at first, took a while to get to it, but I had help," she looked to Puck with gratitude, to Rachel as well, and they knew if Sam was there he would have gotten that look as well.

In the kitchen, Sam had quickly found something for Nell and before long she had calmed again. Still now that he was out of the living room his instincts not to intrude came back and he decided to hang there. It was not long before the dog came trotting in through the flap in the back door. When he saw Sam he seemed to hesitate, like he'd bark, but he saw Nell and apparently that was enough to calm him, get his tail wagging.

"Well hey there, what's your name?" he crouched and the dog approached. Sam read his tag. "Panda," he spoke, making the dog bark, which made Nell squeal. Panda's front paws came up to Sam's flexed knee, and he looked to the little blonde girl curiously. It was as Nell was trying to reach her little arms that it occurred to Sam… a baby with blonde hair, maybe he thought she was Beth? From the tag he knew it was Shelby's dog, but then he looked past the door through which he'd come and he saw something.

Standing again, he moved with Nell toward the window and he looked across the way. In the neighboring house, standing at a similar window, he saw a girl, probably twelve or thirteen, holding a small blonde-haired girl as well. Even from his distance, just one look and there was no doubt this was Quinn's child.

"Look, Nell," he sent a short wave to the girls at the other window and Nell batted her arms along. The girl on the other side waved back to him, and the girl he knew was Beth gave similar excited motions, like she was greeting Nell back. Sam laughed. The other girl… she looked sad now, and she moved away from the window. Sam wasn't sure what had just happened, but he wasn't about to intervene. So he sat with Nell, Panda at his heels, and waited to see how things would go for Rachel, Quinn, and Puck.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	9. Nine

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: One More For the Student Body._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**9. Nine**

Emmett found Joanie in her room, sitting on her bed, Beth sat in her lap while she read to her from a storybook. Her voice changed to fit each character, which Beth freely enjoyed. Joanie smiled, craning her neck to kiss her little cheek before going on.

"You girls having fun?" Emmett finally revealed himself, to Joanie's surprise and Beth's joy.

"Just reading her the new book I got."

"I see that," he came to sit with her on the bed, 'joining the audience.' Joanie looked to him for a moment, then went on reading. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Not what I asked," he reminded kindly. She grew quiet. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she looked to Beth, brushed carefully at her hair.

"Is it Alex? I thought you two had patched things up."

"It's not Alex," she told him, then realized that she'd all but said 'but it's something else.' She sighed. "Are they going to take her away now?"

"Who? What are you…"

"Beth's… birth parents. Are they going to take her away?" she clarified.

"Joanie…"

"If they take her away… Shelby will be so upset. She could leave, move away and we'll never see her again…" her voice trembled.

"That's not…"

"Or she'll go back to her other daughter, because she's still have her. And me, I… won't have them anymore." He didn't have time to try to interject. "I know it sounds selfish, but they're my family now, our family, they are… I know it's not anything official like that, but Beth is my sister and Shelby, she's…" her face closed around the fresh tears gaining her.

"Okay, let's just…" he took Beth from her, moved her to the playpen before coming back to take his daughter in his arms, rubbing her back. "Listen, nothing like that is going to happen, alright? No one's going to take anyone away, in any way."

"How do you know?" she just kept on crying.

"Well, first off, legally Beth belongs to Shelby, and in no way would they have grounds to contest it. Second, I don't think that's what they're here for. And third… this is the most important one. Are you with me?"

"Yeah?"

"Third, Shelby loves you very much. She wouldn't dream of leaving you."

"How do you know?"

"She told me." There was sniffling, and she looked up. "You know, when Nicole was going to take you away with her, the thought that you'd ever be gone was scary and painful to her just as it was to me. And when we knew you'd get to stay, that's when she finally agreed to start going out." That got a small smile out of the girl.

"I helped," she declared.

"Always," he smiled to her, kissing the side of her head. "You okay?" he asked, careful to dry her tears.

"Yeah…" she promised.

"Hello?" Shelby's voice came from downstairs. Emmett got up to go find her and Joanie got up, getting Beth up again.

"Come on, sis, let's go."

"Sa…" Beth reached to her. Joanie looked at her, and now she knew… that was what she'd been trying to say, what she'd named Joanie… sister.

Emmett got downstairs, finding Shelby waiting. "How goes the talk?" he asked.

"Awkward at first, but better," she explained.

"Are you letting them see her?" They turned at Joanie's voice. Shelby saw her face.

"Joanie, sweetie, are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she promised, and Shelby went on.

"Well, yes," Shelby answered. "I talked to them, everything's fine."

"How are you doing?" Emmett asked.

"Not the easiest of situations, but we all have Beth's best interest at heart." Joanie looked to the blonde, moved toward Shelby.

"Well, here…" she moved to hand Beth over.

"Hey, pretty girl," Shelby beamed at the sunny smile on her daughter's face… then saw Joanie's, looked to Emmett. "You two should come." Joanie looked up.

"We wouldn't want to intrude," Emmett walked up.

"Listen, I already have my daughter's boyfriend and his baby daughter in there…" Shelby shook her head as though to say 'don't worry about it.'

"Wow…" Emmett blinked.

"Yeah…" Shelby nodded. "Looks like a good kid, I just keep thinking… she's not playing house here, this is real… But then it's not my place to tell her anything, is it?"

"Is that the blonde guy? I saw him in the window before, with a baby," Joanie asked.

"Yeah, that's him," Shelby confirmed. "So how about it? I think it might help to have you two there with me right now," she admitted.

"Then let's go," Joanie nodded, no hesitation. Shelby smiled, side-hugging her.

"Let's go," she repeated. They walked out the back door together, the three of them, took the walk across the yard.

"Do they know about us?" Joanie asked.

"Not a lot yet. I let them do the talking before," Shelby explained. "But now they'll get to meet you, as they should."

"They should?" Joanie asked.

"Of course, you're family, too," Shelby told her, smiling, and Joanie smiled back, so brightly. "Listen though, I don't know how things will go in there, but don't worry, it'll be fine," she promised.

"I know," Joanie nodded.

"Good," Shelby smiled. "What happened here though?" she indicated her face.

"Nothing anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Joanie nodded. "I want to meet them, too."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	10. Ten

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: The Big Game._

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><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**10. Ten**

When Shelby had told them to 'wait here a minute' while she left the room, they knew. Puck and Quinn looked to each other, a mix of emotions coming in all at once. He'd given her a nod, told her without a word that everything would be fine. She let out a breath, looked down and then to Rachel.

"How do I look?" she asked, hope and fear in her eyes.

"You look great," Rachel kindly promised, putting aside her thoughts of her mother show support to her friends. Just then Sam returned with Nell in his arms and Panda at his heels.

"She just went next door," he reported and there was an intake of breath from Quinn. Panda bypassed Sam when he saw Rachel, barking and wagging his tail as he trotted up to her.

"Hi," she brightened, crouching to scratch at his ears. "Oh, you're precious… Panda, hi Panda," she read the tag.

"Maybe he sees the resemblance with Shelby. He thought Nell was Beth," he added.

"You saw her?" Puck asked.

"Through the window, with the neighbors, yeah." He left out the neighbor girl's abrupt exit. "She looks like you," he told Quinn, and again she breathed in, stopped herself from crying.

They heard the back door and everyone stopped. Puck and Quinn stood, waiting. Rachel looked up to Sam and all he had to do was give a small nod and his message was clear: "Are you okay?" She gave something between a nod and a shrug.

"Everyone…" Shelby's voice drew their attention, and they now found themselves in the presence of a much larger group than anticipated. Behind Shelby was a man and a girl a few years younger than them, and in Shelby's arms there was Beth… Puck and Quinn of course only had eyes for her. Rachel found herself looking at the girl behind Shelby, as she was already staring back at her. Sam, not unlike Emmett, looked across different faces, seeing things here and there. "This is Emmett Tepley and his daughter Joanie, from next door. Emmett and I are, well, Emmett and I…" she explained. "And Joanie," she wasn't going to leave her out, looking back to her. Joanie could see exactly what Emmett had told her, about Shelby. She could also see how, in this present situation, laying out the state of their relationship might be hard.

"I help," she declared, and Shelby smiled approvingly.

"Emmett, Joanie, I'd like you to meet Beth's birth parents, Noah Puckerman and Quinn Fabray, their friend Sam Evans and his daughter Nell, and this is my daughter, Rachel Berry," she made a point to look to each of them as she made the introductions. On Rachel, the attention she gave and the words she chose did not go unnoticed.

"Nice to meet all of you," Emmett was the first to speak.

"We met briefly, earlier," Sam nodded to Joanie, "Waving at the window."

"Yeah," she responded with a smile.

"Can we…" Quinn asked Shelby, motioning that they wanted to come closer. Shelby looked down to Beth, found her looking up at her. Everyone looked ready for this, and yet now it was her who was having trouble letting go.

"Yes, of course," she finally said, and Puck and Quinn approached, not too fast. They'd taken no more than four steps when Beth looked back down and it seemed her eyes fell on them. They smiled to her, still careful. Her eyes followed them until they were at an arm's length. Shelby turned to give her a better line of sight.

"Maybe we shouldn't crowd her…" Quinn looked about to back away again.

"Would you like to hold her?" Shelby suddenly decided, like it was time and she knew it now. Quinn looked to her. "It's okay," Shelby promised. It was what she wanted, what she needed, even if she'd already made her peace with the thought that it might not happen. She took a step forward, started with presenting a finger, within reach of the small hand's grasp. Beth observed the finger and a moment later took hold of it. It was all it took to liberate a smile from her young mother.

"Hi, Beth," she spoke, softly brushing her thumb against the back of the baby's hand.

"Here…" Shelby nodded after a moment, and Beth was handed to Quinn properly. She hadn't let go of her finger, and Quinn didn't take it away from her.

"Such a good girl… yes…" Quinn spoke in a humming whisper, hoping not to disrupt anything that would take away from this moment. She had not held this girl since the day she was born, and already she had grown so much… She remembered how she'd looked at her, as captivated with her as Quinn was with her… She remembered, but Beth wouldn't, and yet with the way she looked at her now, she could almost delude herself into thinking she did. She looked happy, calm and yet open… she had a good life, and that was all Quinn had ever wanted, for her to have what she deserved.

Puck had been watching, as Quinn held her. He knew that, like him, the moment when she might get to hold their daughter in her arms was one she'd looked forward to with still an amount of fear, like it could all go wrong, if it ever happened. "Be calm, she'll feel if you're stressed," they'd tell each other. The moment would be different for him though… It would be the first time he ever held her at all. And then Quinn was looking at him and he knew the time had come. He allowed himself a breath, in, out, as he reached at the hand where Quinn's finger was still trapped. For a moment their three hands were joined; it would grow to be a cherished memory.

"Want to come say hi?" he let her see his face, as Quinn passed her along, resting her hand to Beth's back for a moment as the hand off was made. Beth's head turned back to Quinn for a second before looking back to Puck and then she spotted something and pointed with a ramble. "You like my hair?" he bowed his head and soon he felt little fingers in his Mohawk. He could hear some chuckles, but all he cared about was the girl in his arms. "Cool, right?" he asked, starting to lift his head, but then he heard a squeal and immediately lowered it again. "Sorry, sorry," he told her as she resumed playing with his hair. Without moving his head his eyes turned sideways to find Quinn's and he knew she felt it too… It had not turned to disaster as they'd feared and was in fact nothing short of perfection.

Quinn looked back to Shelby, with so many things to tell her, so many things that all came to mean the same thing: thank you. Shelby looked on, finding it hard not to look on the scene, as heartwarming as it was, without feeling for a moment like they were a family and all these months couldn't surpass that. It would pass, she knew, and Beth wouldn't suddenly deny her as her mother. But at the same time she began to think about the future, for her and for the two of them as well, in one capacity or another. And then there was Rachel, her Rachel, who had to have come for more than this, she knew, but who had said nothing on it so far. But the future was the future, and today was much more precious.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	11. Eleven

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: First Visit._

* * *

><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**11. Eleven**

They had put Beth and Nell in the playpen together, watched the two of them babble at each other. Shelby would look to Rachel as she observed the small blondes, and she wondered when she would say… whatever she'd come around to say. She knew her to be direct, from how little she knew of her, but she could feel how similar they were in that aspect. She knew what could override that for her, so if that was the same for Rachel, then it wouldn't surprise her if she left without ever breathing a word of what she'd come for… She wasn't going to push on the matter, but for Rachel's sake she hoped she'd speak up.

For now, she still had Beth and Puck and Quinn to deal with. When she saw Beth start to fuss as he did when on the verge of a diaper change, she took her up again, started to move toward the nursery, but then she had a thought.

"Quinn? Come with me for a minute?" she nodded to her. Quinn looked over, surprised.

"Okay," she got up and followed. They went up to the nursery, and as they went in Shelby could see the girl take the room in… This was Beth's world, the place she saw when she fell asleep and when she woke again. "It's really nice…" she picked up a stuffed bear, brushed at its white 'fur,' put it back down with a nudge like she wanted to make sure it was in the exact place she'd taken it away from.

"She seems to enjoy it," Shelby smiled, putting Beth on the changing table. "It took me way too long to decide on the colors, the motifs, but now here we are." Quinn approached, still keeping a respectful distance. Shelby looked back to her, keeping a hand over Beth. "You know she tends to move around a lot when I do this. Why don't you come up here and keep her company. Talk to her, hold her hand… she'll listen," she promised.

"Last time I talked to her, really talked to her, she was still…" her hand hovered at a space in front of herself as it would had when her belly still reached out to there, like it remembered exactly where it had laid time and time again… but not anymore. Her hand came back down, eyes averted. The memory may have been overwhelming, but she didn't want to show it.

"Well it'll give you time to catch up then, won't it." Beth started to cry and Shelby turned back to her. "Yes, I know," she hushed. "Taking care of it now, okay?" she leaned in to kiss the little fist shaking out. As she stood back up she saw Quinn make a careful approach, standing at the head of the table, presenting her finger again. When Beth saw her, she reached and grasped it again. "See? She remembers," Shelby smiled. Quinn looked closer to hyperventilating than anything. "Take your time." She started going through the motions of the diaper change and, after a moment, Quinn's voice was heard.

"Hey, Beth… Been a while, right?" she paused. "I think last time we talked I was telling you about… Regionals. That's when you were born. You know, you came real close to being born on a stage. That would have been a good story for the future. 'Tell you what, sweetheart, I was born on the stage, what do you have?'" she put on a dramatic voice… and Beth laughed. Quinn wasn't sure if she was smiling or crying. "I guess 'almost born on the stage' doesn't have the same ring to it. Believe me though, the hospital was probably better in this case. Nice, clean, smaller entourage, it would have been a really bad time for performance anxiety."

Shelby couldn't help smirking along, though she kept quiet. Neither of them probably remembered she was there anyway… it was just as well. She had some thinking to do.

"I know I said that was the last time I spoke to you. That's true, I guess, even if technically I couldn't see you, just felt you, moving sometimes, and kicking… But I still talk to you, even if you're nowhere near. I want you to know that, okay? Somewhere, deep down, even if you're small and your memories are not exactly stable from the times we were together, I wanted you to know I haven't forgotten you, and I haven't stopped loving you. That won't ever happen, okay?" she shook her head. I don't talk about you to everybody else most of the time. Maybe they think that's weird, but what would they know? But I talk to you, and I imagine that you can hear me out there… here." She took a breath. "You have such a good life here, and that's all I ever wanted for you. I would have been the one to give it to you if I could have, believe me, okay?" she nodded, like she was afraid of being resented for it. Beth just kept looking at her, no more crying, just quiet staring. Quinn wondered… hoped… maybe somewhere in her mind she remembered the voice that spoke to her so many times when she wasn't born yet. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but that was her choice.

"So I have an idea," Shelby spoke after the silence had held for some time. Quinn looked almost startled, more so when she realized Shelby had long finished with the diapering.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Understand that this would be on my terms, and that I could change my mind at any time. But if you and Puck would be up for it, maybe… once or twice a month, you could come up for a visit."

"You… you'd do that?" Quinn hesitated.

"If it's something you'd want," Shelby nodded. Quinn looked back to Beth, who was still holding on to her finger. "Unless it would be too hard…"

"Since the day I gave her to you and walked away, all I kept thinking was I had to make my peace with it. I wasn't going to see her, and I had to get used to that."

"And have you?"

"Well I'm here, aren't I?" she looked back to Shelby. She paused. "I can't put myself through breaking down the work I've done these past months if you could take it away again at any time… I don't know if I could recover from that one."

"And yet here you are," Shelby picked up on her previous statement.

"And that's my own weakness. Of course I want to be part of her life if I get the chance. But I'm not going to put myself through it if I have the possibility of you taking that away again. It wouldn't be fair, to me, to Beth… and Puck… and even you. So either we're all in, or this is it." Shelby took a step forward.

"So let's shelve the idea. And if you ever decide you want to reconsider, you know where we are."

"I think… I can work with that."

"You can't just drop in and out of her life, but I know you won't," Shelby put a hand to her shoulder, and Quinn shook her head. "In the meantime, I can keep the two of you posted. Photos, videos… Would that be alright?" Quinn looked back to Beth, who had to throw her a smile…

"That would be perfect…"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	12. Twelve

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Keep On Smiling (series-related)._

* * *

><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**12. Twelve**

It wasn't decided by anyone in particular, but all at once they knew it was time to go. Everyone had said their goodbyes and nice to meet yous and then the five had gone, leaving four behind. It would take a moment for Shelby and her group to say something. Then there was Beth who wasn't having this particular problem, not really grasping what was happening.

"What happens now?" Joanie finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Shelby asked.

"Well, with her birth parents and that."

"Nothing's happening, not really, not yet… I'm not sure," Shelby explained. Joanie looked to her father, hesitating to ask this.

"So they're not going to take her away, right?"

"Oh, sweetie, no, of course not. Did you think they would?" she approached, touching her cheek.

"I wasn't sure…" Joanie shrugged it off innocently.

"Well now you have your answer," Shelby told her and Joanie smiled.

"Rachel, she really looks like you," she then declared.

"Yes," Shelby nodded with a smile.

"She didn't really say much," Joanie remarked. Shelby swallowed back a sigh.

"No, she didn't," Shelby agreed, leaving out the parts where that didn't register as normal to her, and where she had been certain there was something she needed to say and yet ended up keeping silent. Shelby had given her ample chance to give it a go, a friendly nudge in the right direction, and yet she didn't take any of them.

"Does she sing like you?" Joanie asked.

"I asked that, too," Emmett revealed, smirking.

"Yes, you did, and yes, she does," Shelby confirmed. "I almost wanted to ask Sam if he'd like to get Beth and Nell together to play from time to time but then considering all sides of it, that could end up getting awkward real quick."

"The girls weren't part of the rest, and they did look like they got along," Emmett pointed out. Shelby looked to him and he shrugged.

"Fine, well, I'll consider it," she conceded.

"Are they going to come back? The others?" Joanie asked.

"I don't know yet, but if they do I'll let you know, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Joanie smiled.

X

Rachel had only gotten more quiet when they left Shelby's house, if that was even possible. She took the passenger seat, set her gaze on the side she could see through her window and that was that. Sam looked at her, concerned. The others, they only had a vague idea of why Rachel had wanted to go today, and they didn't really go beyond 'because she's her mother' though. Only in Sam's case he knew all too well. He worried, seeing her like this, although tried not to let it show; Puck and Quinn couldn't know. For all he knew then, they already did, but he had to assume they didn't.

He'd watched her, practically the whole time, and he had seen her so many times trying to work herself toward that point, but she never would. When they'd started leaving, when her back was turned to Shelby and the others, he could still see her silently chastising herself. He kind of wished they'd come in two cars right then, but they didn't, so he just had to hold on until after having dropped off Puck and Quinn. It was taking him everything not to wave the truth in everyone's faces.

Looking in the back he had a feeling he wasn't the only one who would have appreciated separate cars, for private conversation's sake. It wasn't that they were silent, it wasn't what they said… it was what they didn't say, which still existed in their eyes, if you looked. And as those eyes were his ex-girlfriend's, then he had a way of knowing.

"That Emmett looks like a good guy," Quinn commented, tracing her finger lightly in her palm, trying to retain the feel of Beth's hand in hers. She looked to Puck, just barely catching the flicker in her eyes. He would have seen it too, right? The way Emmett was around Beth, it felt very fatherly, which was entirely possible, him being Shelby's boyfriend and all, but then that was only half. The other half was Beth, and she looked like she saw him as fatherly, too. Did that upset Puck? She'd had to make her peace with her seeing Shelby as her mother a long time ago, even if she didn't get to see it until today.

There'd been no adoptive father figure in the equation back then though. It wasn't like any of them expected Shelby to stay single, but it was another thing entirely to come face to face with an accomplished fact rather than an eventual possibility.

"Yeah, he does," Puck finally replied. "And Joanie, that was her name, right? She's really good with her, too."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's good," Puck promised. "You saw the nursery?" he asked.

"I-I did," she nodded. "It was… perfect," she smiled. She would tell him about what she'd discussed with Shelby, of course she would, but this was neither the time nor the place. As it was, they were distracted by Nell, once again sat in between and now fussing herself out of a nap.

"Hey, blondie, it's okay," Puck told her, reaching for a fallen stuffed giraffe and presenting it back to her. "This a friend of yours?" he asked, putting it back in her arms. She happily gave it a squeeze; which got a smile out of Quinn as well.

"Hey…" Sam tried to get Rachel's attention in the front seat as they were nearing their neighborhoods. She didn't react, so he put his hand to hers, which got her startled. "Sorry…"

"No, it's okay," she told him, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"You want to come over for dinner? Everyone's out for the evening anyway." He hadn't flat out said 'do you want to talk?' but it was implied. She looked to him, and her nod said 'yes, thank you.'

"Yeah, speaking of which…" Quinn looked to Puck, hesitating. "Feel like Breadstix? My treat."

"I got this one," he shook his head, almost smiling. "Sam, can you drop us off?"

"Sure, you got it," Sam turned the car around. When they got to the mall, Puck and Quinn said goodbye to Nell, then to Sam and Rachel, before disappearing through the doors together. The car now held just the three of them, and Nell was sleeping again. Sam looked to Rachel, who had not taken a turn for the better at all. "We'll make that dinner and a movie, okay?"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	13. Thirteen

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Back to Work._

* * *

><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**13. Thirteen**

It had taken about half an hour but Beth was finally sleeping and staying that way. Shelby had gone back down, into the dining room, opening a bottle of wine and trying to think of… something to do… It was just distraction though. She could still feel them there, so she still thought about them… the very thing she needed to be distracted from. She had been sitting there for about ten minutes when there was a knock at the back door. Emmett walked in, stopping at the archway between the kitchen and the dining room.

"Saw you were up," he smiled.

"Stalker," she teased with a smirk, then got up to get him a glass while he sat down.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice telling he knew the answer to that was 'no.'

"I messed up…" she declared.

"What part? Letting them see Beth?"

"No, no, that was right," she promised, then hesitated to go on. "No, what I messed up on was… with Quinn," she sighed, staring into her glass. "I invited her to tag along when I had to take Beth to change her diaper, I figured it would be good for her, to have this… Then she was talking to Beth, and I was looking at them… I don't know what I was expecting, but I was standing there and I just thought 'we could work something out, so she and Puck can see Beth again, from time to time."

"That's very nice," he nodded, then, seeing the look on her face hadn't improved, "Right?"

"Let's just say I didn't handle it the best way…"

"What happened?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm still trying to figure that out. I mean, I just kind of didn't have time to think it through, and so it got out there and took all these insecurities I had about letting them into her life with it."

"How'd she take it?"

"About as should be expected when someone basically tells you they don't trust you… But I do trust her, both of them, I do, or I wouldn't have brought Beth in to see them."

"You panicked. It's been known to mess with someone's speaking. Scientific fact," he joked, which made her chuckle. "You can try again." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Give them time, then… try again." She turned her head to him. "With Rachel, too."

"Stalking my thoughts, too?" she smiled though there was a sadness inside. She reached over and took up his hand. "Thank you."

X

They had gotten their table sitting across from one another. They had been here together a few times, especially at the time of her pregnancy when she'd been living with him. He knew a lot about what was going on with her, just by how she held her menu: flat on the table was all clear, held before herself, depending on the angle, would mean something to hide… no menu at all meant she was much too bothered by something else to think of food.

"Not hungry?" he asked as she stared at her hands… again. She looked up to him. "Not hungry?" he repeated.

"Not really," she grabbed a breadstick.

"Did something happen? You went off with Shelby, and when you came back you looked… different."

"Different how?" she asked. He just shrugged. She knew she had waited until now because she needed to be alone with him, and now they were, so… "We talked," she started. "She offered to let us see Beth sometimes."

"She did?" Puck sat up, looking this close to overwhelmed. "Well that's great, I mean… right?"

"Only so long as it was okay with her and then she wouldn't let us anymore," Quinn revealed the other half, and now Puck looked emotionally torn, like on the one hand all he wanted was to see Beth, but at the same time he was with her and having to risk losing her again just wasn't right.

"Damn…" he lowered his head, showing great amounts of self-control.

"She did say… she'll send us pictures and things…" she tried to cheer him up. "Do you regret going?"

"No," he shook his head. "I'm so glad we went, and we saw her, and held her… And she likes my hair," he was practically beaming.

"She did," Quinn smiled. They paused, looking to each other. "So what do we do now?"

"Now, we eat," he nodded, and she nodded back. "And after that… we'll see," he told her and she smiled.

X

Sam hadn't been too sure how to handle things when they made it to his house. He was picturing Rachel being unmovable, staying in the front seat until they could pull her out. But then the car stopped and she got out. She was silent, but she got out. So he got Nell out, and they went inside. He got Nell up in her crib and when he came back into the living room she was sitting up on the couch. He came to sit at her side, unsure what would happen, but then she had put her head on his shoulder… It took him a moment to feel the shake in her shoulders and realize she was crying. "Oh, hey…" he hushed, putting his arms around her, which only made her cry in earnest. He close his eyes, breathing out.

"I don't know why I'm…" she finally spoke, her voice distorted from crying, "Why I'm being so emotional about this…"

"She's your mom…"

"Is she? She's my mother, she gave birth to me, but does that make her my mom? I have two dads, and… they're wonderful, to me, as people… So why'd I have to go and mess it all up?"

"You didn't…"

"I did. They may not know, but I did. And that just makes it worse. I lied to them, I'm a liar…"

"Okay, breathe," he told her, and she did. "What happened today, why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to… I was going to… I sat there and I could hear myself say it all in my head, but I couldn't actually do it. You know, you spend enough time with an unanswered question and it grows on you because… you get to decide for yourself what the answer is, the one you wanted all along, you can even change it along the way, but it's yours, no one can touch it, until… you do get a chance to have an answer, a real… definitive answer, no more guessing, no more fix-ups, just the truth, whatever it is. Last year I got a part of that with her, it wasn't… But I'm just afraid that I'd… I'm just afraid," she settled on it.

"In the end, it's all up to you," he told her, keeping her hands warm in his. "Maybe you'll get another chance…" He paused. "Or maybe you'll get comfortable with your answers again and you won't have to." She didn't reply, but she resettled in his arms, thankful in the way he kept her safe and warm. So she fell asleep, and so did he, ending this long day.

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	14. Fourteen

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Haven't Forgotten You._

* * *

><p><strong>"The Ties That Bind"<strong>

**14. Fourteen**

It had been a week since they'd all gone and seen Shelby, and Beth… One week since she'd sat in that living room and, rather than speaking more than cursory greetings, she'd been as good as absent. It was still in her mind, she could still feel the helpless sort of mutism she'd been taken with, how the longer it went the harder it had become to just be sitting there.

Then this morning she'd made a decision. It had come at her all out of the blue and maybe out of fear she'd lose her nerve she had not wasted time. She got ready and she went, on her own. She could have asked Sam and she knew he would have done it freely and gladly, but she had to do this for herself.

Before long she was standing in front of the house, the one she'd last visited – and first visited – a week earlier. She looked up at it, unsure if it gotten bigger or smaller. She went up to the door with a decisive step, not stopping until she'd rung the bell, leaving no margin for backing out. When the door opened though, it wasn't Shelby she came face to face with.

"Hello…" Joanie greeted her in surprise.

"Oh, hi… Joanie, right?" She nodded. "I'm…"

"Rachel, I remember."

"Right," she breathed, looking to make sure she had gone to the right house. "Is Shelby here?"

"She and my dad went out," Joanie revealed.

"Oh," Rachel tried not to look too disappointed. "Will they be back… soon?"

"Do you want to come in and wait?" Joanie first asked. Before she could reply, Joanie's attention was pulled back inside, where Beth's cries rang out. The girl ran back inside, leaving Rachel there to decide: come in or leave. Remembering her determination she slowly walked in, shutting the door before she followed the sounds to direct her toward Joanie and Beth.

The playpen had been set up in the living room, though Beth was now up in Joanie's arms, gently rocked about. She was still crying, but already Joanie had her soothed. They were so good together, something she hadn't gotten to see last time.

"It might be about an hour," Joanie told her. "If you can wait…"

"I… If that's alright…" Rachel hesitated.

"Yeah, sure, I just… Oh, hang on, here," she moved up and handed Beth over to Rachel before dashing upstairs. Rachel startled but then there she stood, with her sort-of-sister in her arms. She resettled her hold, now face to face with the still whimpering girl, who was equally thrown by the hand off and started getting louder again.

"Hey, it's okay," Rachel hushed, going into comfort mode instantly. "Hey, Beth," she walked around with her, brushing at her hair. "It's alright…" she smiled at her, and slowly she calmed again.

"Sorry, I left her bear upstairs," Joanie jogged back in with a plush white bear. "Look…" she put it in Beth's line of sight and what was left of her cries went away. "Snowy to the rescue," Joanie smiled as Beth grasped the bear.

"Should I put her back in?" Rachel indicated the playpen.

"Just wait a bit longer. She likes you," she spoke as she indicated for Rachel to follow her into the kitchen.

"Because I look like her mother, probably," Rachel shrugged, waving Snowy the bear at Beth and getting a laugh.

"Well, yeah, but even then," Joanie insisted, working to prepare a bottle for Beth. "She's good with people she doesn't know, but they wouldn't be able to get her to stop crying like that," she explained. "She likes you," she repeated.

"I guess she does," Rachel smiled.

"How come you didn't say anything last week?" Joanie asked, catching Rachel off guard.

"I don't…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Joanie looked back.

"No, it's okay, it just surprised me," Rachel shook her head, then stopped to think. She couldn't tell her that it had in part been due to seeing her there, realizing that her mother couldn't be in her life but that she could be in Beth's, and in Joanie's… It wasn't her fault, and it shouldn't have felt to her like it was.

Still it was part of it. Shelby and her, they'd kind of messed up their chance together, and she'd kind of figured that they would go on with their lives with that knowledge of a missed opportunity. Only in Shelby's case, she'd gone and found that second door, a new opportunity, with not one but two girls… and not her. To say it didn't hurt at least in part would have been a lie. She couldn't tell Joanie that… She wasn't even sure she could tell Shelby that.

"I had all these things to tell her, but when it came down to it I guess I couldn't."

"Things like what?" Joanie asked, motioning for her to hand Beth back now that the bottle was ready. Hands freed, Rachel rested against the counter, thinking.

"Mother issues…" she trailed.

"Yeah, I've got those," Joanie chuckled in a way that told Rachel a lot about the girl without a single word.

"But Shelby, she helps with that, right?" she asked and Joanie nodded. "I don't exactly have anyone for that…" Joanie looked to her.

"The other girl, Nell, she's your boyfriend's, right? Not yours?" Rachel shook her head. "Where's her mother?" she asked, and Rachel hesitated… It wasn't exactly her place to get into Sam and Summer's business with others. "Out of the picture, got it," Joanie nodded after the silence had lasted long enough. "We should just start a club… 'Girls with mommy issues,'" she intoned and Rachel chuckled. "But… she's got you," Joanie threw her a smile and Rachel beamed, slowly nodding.

"She does."

"Maybe it doesn't change your history, but it's changing hers… That's pretty good," she nodded.

"I like you," Rachel pointed at her with a near-weepy smirk, which made Joanie laugh.

"Well, you're kind of one of us, I guess," she looked back to Beth.

"Guess I am," Rachel agreed.

"I'm not going to get middle child complex, am I?" she joked, now making Rachel laugh.

"I don't think it should come to that. But I wouldn't say no to the rest." Joanie gave a smiling nod. "I should go…"

"But they're not back yet."

"I know, but I think I got what I needed. If I tell her what I have to say, like this, then it will feel like an accusation, and it's not."

"So then stay," Joanie told her, rebalancing Beth. "Not to say anything, just be here, with us. And if you were to come by again, once in a while, then things could get better. Maybe it won't be so hard to tell her these things." Rachel thought about it. "Please?" Joanie asked.

"It's an idea," she nodded after a beat, and Joanie smiled.

After Beth was good and fed they had moved back to the living room, the three of them girls. To keep Beth in a cheerful mood, Rachel had taken to singing her some of the songs she'd recorded for Nell. When Shelby returned and found them there, Rachel and Joanie, holding Beth, got up. Shelby was surprised, Rachel hesitant, and Joanie almost pleading. "Can she have lunch with us?" she asked, hopeful.

"I'll set the table," Shelby breathed out, smiling.

THE END


End file.
